Born in Manila on May 25, 1938, to the late Fernando and Florentina Pineda, Emelita (Emy) held many honorifics in her life. She was an anak (daughter), an ate (sister), a ninang (godmother), a kumare (girlfriend), a mama, and an auntie to the people whose lives she touched. She passed away quietly the morning of April 25, 2024.
Emy began her career at Playtex Apparel, Inc., in Manila. Once she immigrated to the United States and settled in Alameda with her extended family in 1979, she worked for the Army and Air Force Exchange Service. She served as a forklift operator there until her retirement in 2001.
A truly giving person, Emy connected to others most strongly through the language of food and through her loving care of her nieces and nephews and great-nieces and great-nephews. Her home was the gathering place of members of her immediate and extended family. No one was ever turned away, even when they came knocking late into the night or in the wee hours of the morning. Everyone was rewarded with something comforting, something delicious, and also some unsolicited advice.
Emy’s family, spanning a vast ocean, benefited greatly from her generosity. She personally fed or oversaw the feeding of guests at almost every social gathering, from weddings to christenings to birthdays, and even to a week-long wake that brought in thousands of people for her mother’s funeral services in Manila. Through the language of food, Emy informed the social movements of her niece and nephew, by literally bringing people to the table and helping them find commonalities and, ultimately, community. She helped to raise a godson who works in finance, a great-nephew who works in the field of law, and another great-nephew who took after her by working in a distribution warehouse. Before her passing, Emy spent her days surrounded by the youngest of her great-nieces and great-nephews, who have yet to make their mark in the world.
Emy rarely, if ever, sought the spotlight—her cooking was simply in service of silent revolutions. That is, except for the time when her recipe for dinuguan so thoroughly impressed the judges of a local food competition that it won first place. It was the highest praise she could have asked for.
Emy is survived by family and friends all around the world, who will miss her dearly.
Family and friends are invited to a public viewing on Sunday, May 5, from 3 to 7 p.m., at Greer Family Mortuary, 2694 Blanding Ave. Vigil service begins at 4 p.m. and remembrances begin at 5:30 p.m. A funeral mass will be offered on Monday, May 6, 10:30 to 11:30 a.m., at St. Joseph Basilica, 1109 Chestnut Street.
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